Donnie's fall
by Sweetheart91597
Summary: Donnie is used to being insulted by his brothers, but sometimes he just wants to prove them wrong... I do not own TMNT 2.9340 views! :D Unbelievable that I've already been read so many times! Thank you so much! Read and review please :)
1. This is all my fault

**TMNT**

The four guys were running over roof tops. Like usually, Mikey was teasing Raph about his temper.  
Leo was running on top. Short behind, Mikey with Raph on his tail. Don was a little behind, wich wasn't very strange. He had always been the slowest of his brothers and it didn't really bother him that much.

After some time, they stopped and rested for a while. Don was panting, while the others were still full of energy. Especially Mikey, who got an extra energy boost from teasing his older brother.  
Leo noticed that Don was tired and decided to go talk to him.  
'Are you alright?' he asked. Don looked up and saw the concern on his face. 'Yes, sure. Why wouldn't I be?' he answered, altough he didn't expect Leo to believe him. He knew him bether than that.  
'We can stay here a little longer if you need some time to recuperate' Leo offered. Don was about to give in to the offer, but then Rap hand Mikey showed up. 'O, come on! Don't tell me the Braniac needs another rest!' Raph said 'This happenes every day! You really should exercise more instead of always sitting still in your lab!'.  
Although Don was used tot his sort of commentary from his brother, it still hurt a bit.

Mikey didn't really help either 'Hey Raph, we know that Don is slow and has got a terrible condition! Leave him alone. If he needs a break, than he can get one' Leo was looking at Don the entire time and the hurt was visible on his face. But Don wouldn't admit so easy that something hurt him. 'It's ok, Leo' Don said, like he had read Leo's mind 'I'll be fine. We can move on if you guys want to' 'Really?' all three of them asked at the same time. It never happened that Don didn't need a rest. 'Don, we're your brothers, you don't need to prove anything to us' Leo said.

'Moving on sounds good to me!' Raph said while already jumping to the next roof top. Mikey followed swiftly with one of his personal cheers. Leo let Don go before him and then followed. He wouldn't say it out loud, but he was a little worried about Don. His condition was less than the others, but it was still good. He had seen the look on his face when Raph and Mikey were talking about him. He wanted to proof that he wasn't less than them. But Leo felt in his gut that this could lead to very bad things…

Mikey was in a great mood, which meant that he wanted Raph to have a terrible mood. After a couple more blocks, Raph suddenly stopped and faced Mikey 'That's it, you're going down!' after that he started running around the rooftop chasing Mikey. By that time, Leo and Don had arrived at the rooftop too. Leo smiled when he saw his two brothers running around. But when he looked at Don, he felt the same worry from a couple minutes ago. But now it had gotten stronger. Don was quit pale and shaking a little on his legs. 'Don?' Leo asked 'Are you feeling okay?' Don was a little startled by the sudden question, but he recoverd quickly 'Of course I'm fine! Why do you ask?'  
'You don't look very good' Leo answered 'Maybe you should sit down a bit while Raph tries to kill Mikey' Don smiled but declined the offer.  
After another ten minutes, Raph had caught Mikey and pinned him down. 'Not so tough now, are you?' Raph said with a huge grin planted on his face. 'Next time, I'll win!' Mikey answered while trying to get out of Raph's grip. 'You said that the last twenty-two times, Mikey' Raph answered, while smiling. He let go of Mikey and pulled him back to his feet. They walked over to Leo and Don, who didn't look so good.

MIKEY's POV

Wow, what's wrong with him?

RAPH's POV

Why is Don white instead of green?

LEO's POV

If this is Raph's or Mikey's fault, they won't survive the night!

NOBODY's POV

They continued their night, but much slower. They didn't say it out loud, but they knew that everyone was worried about Don's condition. They had run another thirty minutes after their last stop and Don had become light green instead of his usual bright colour. He was shaking on his legs and constantly gasping for air.

'Let's head back to the Lair' Leo announced. Everybody agreed and they continued to the closest alley with an acces to the sewers. Again, Leo was right behind Don just in case.

Two blocks away from their entry point, Don made a jump for the next building… but missed by an inch. He planted his feet on the edge, but slipped over and hit the concrete with his knee. After that, he fell and only just managed to grab on to the edge with one hand.  
'Don!' Leo yelled.

He ran as fast as he could and jumped onto the next building. Raph and Mikey turned around and saw Don falling of the building. 'Donnie!' Raph screamd. The both of them ran as fast as their legs could carry them. Leo streched out for Don's hand and tried to grab it. Raph and Mikey had joined him. While Mikey helped Leo with trying to grab Don's hand that wasn't holding the rooftop, Raph was helping Don by pulling on his arm that held the edge. Finally, Mikey managed to grab Don's hand. Raph held Don's other arm and Leo held Mikey in the side. 'On three guys' Leo ordered 'One, two, three!' They pulled with all the power they had. After what felt like an eternity, Don was pulled back on the rooftop. He was lying on his back and panting extremely hard. His face had become even more pale. Also the other three turtles were panting now. Altough Don was the thinest, that still didn't make it easy to pull him up.

'Are you Okay?' Leo asked, his voice filled with concern. It took a while before the response came 'I think so… Thanks' Don answered with a small smile. Raph was at Don's side and helped him sit up straight 'Don't you dare to scare me like that again, bro. I don't know what I would do without my tecnician' Raph said with a grin. 'Yeah', Mikey added with a huge smile 'Who would have to fix my videogames when you're not here anymore?' 'Let's go home, guys. Sunrise in an hour' Leo informed the rest of them. Raph and Mikey jumped up, but Don stayed down for a bit. After half a minute, he tried to get onto his legs, but failed miserably. Leo offered him a hand, which he aspected he would ignore and just try it again. But much to his suprise, Don grabbed it with a thankfull smile on his face. Leo pulled him up, but the second Don put weight on his legs, he fell back down with a very pained expression on his face. 'What's wrong Don?' Leo asked concerned 'did you hurt your leg when you fell?' Raph and Mikey had joined him. 'I don't know' Don said 'but my left knee hurts a lot' Very carefully, Leo took Don's left knee cap of. With a gasp, he turned his face away. Mikey looked at the knee with big eyes, while Raph was trying his best not to throw up. 'What's wrong?' Don asked. 'Leo pulled out his katana and showed Don his knee in the reflection. Now Don also gasped. His knee was thick and had almost every coulour of the rainbow. Also it looked like the joint was out of place.  
'Wow, now I understand why it hurts…' Don said. 'We have got to get you out of here' Leo said while looking around for someway to bring his injured brother home. 'I can help' Raph said. His brothers looked at him with a questionable look. He kneeled right in front of Donnie 'Climb on' He suggested. The brothers looked at each other and nodded. Mikey and Leo helped Don on his good leg. After that Don held on to Raph like his life depended on it… which it probably did.

Raph was very careful in jumping and running, avoiding anything that may cause his brother even more pain.

When they finally arrived in the lair, Raph put Donnie down on the couch. He himself sat on the floor in front of him while Leo and MIkey went searching for master Splinter.

From the second he saw Donnie fall untill that moment, he could only think of one thing: this is all my fault…


	2. Guilt

Only a couple of minutes later, Mikey returned with master Splinter. Leo came right behind them.  
'My son' he asked 'what happened?' Don didn't say anything for a while, he was just looking at his brothers. In his thoughts, Raph was begging him not to say anything about what he said earlier that night.  
Finally, Donnie spoke 'I miscalculated my jump and missed the edge of the roof. It was nothing but a stupid accident' Master Splinter looked at him with a thoughtfull look, but decided to believe him. After all, why would his smartest son lie to him?

Raph looked at him with wide eyes. It would have been so easy for Donnie to tell the truth and blame Raph for, unwillingly of course, pushing him too far. But he didn't say a thing, he just said it was an accident. Raph just couldn't belive that, even after he got hurt because of him, Donnie still protected him.

'Leo, go get some ice please'  
'Of course, sensei' Leo answered and he ran into the kitchen.  
'Does it hurt a lot, Donnie?' Mikey asked. When Don looked at his face, he could see the worry the younger turtle felt for his brother. He couldn't tell him how much it actually hurt, he just couldn't bring himself to it. 'I'll be fine, Mikey' he answered with a smile on his face. Mikey relaxed a bit after that, but still had that worried look on his face.

Leo returned with the ice and gave it to master Splinter, who was examining Don's knee.  
'you have been very lucky, Donatello' he said after a while 'you could have broken your knee. It's just a little tear as far as I can see. But you still will have to rest for a couple of weeks. So no going out or training' 'Yes, sensei' Don answered. He didn't like the idea of seeing nothing but the lair. But is also was a good oppurtunity to have some peace and quiet without his noisy brothers around. And he also had some projects he would love to finish.

'Leonardo, help Donatello to my room. There I can bandage his knee' Master Splinter said. Leo did as was said. Don took the help gratefuly, but was suprised when Mikey appeared on his other side. 'You might be annoying sometimes' Mikey said teasingly 'but you're still my brother. So I'll help you as long as you can't walk properly' That comment made Don smile. For a moment, he didn't even feel the pain in his knee. With the help of his two brothers, he was brought to Master Splinters room.

No one had noticed that Raph hadn't said a word the entire time. All this time, Raph was sitting on the floor looking at nothing in particular, lost in thoughts. _It's my fault he's injured now. I shouldn't have teased him about his condition. What if he never completely recovers? I wouldn't forgive myself…  
_He didn't notice he had been crying a little untill he felt a tear falling onto his hand. He jumped up and started pacing around the living room. He was so angry with himself. If would have anybody else who had hurt his younger brother, he would have beaten them to pulp. But you can't beat yourself up, can you? 'I'm a monster' he said slowly 'I was bullying him and now he's hurt. What if I do it again?' He was filled with doubt.

Raph heard some sounds in him father's room. They probably were almost ready. He couldn't face his family. He thought about the reactions of his brothers.  
What would Donnie say? Probably something like: It was an accident, I just missed the edge. It had nothing to do with you (complete lie of course)  
And Mikey? Well, he had always been unpredictable. It would probably be something about brotherhood and friendship combined with some sarcastic remarks about Raph's temper. And all of this filled up with some self invented words.  
And how about Leo? He didn't want to think about him. He would be furious. He knew that Leo knew that he was, indirect, guilty to Don's injury. He would give him an entire lecture of a couple of hours about compassion and respect and bla bla bla…

When he heard them returning to the living room, he panicked. Before he could think about anything else, he ran out of the lair as fast as he could. It wouldn't help him a lot, but at least he would get some extra time to think about everything.

When the rest of the family returned, they were suprised to find out that Raph wasn't there. Mikey went searching in the bedrooms while Leo checked the rest of their home. But Raph was nowhere to be found.

'He's probably off running a little more' Leo suggested 'It's been quite a shocking night' 'You can say that again!' Mikey said 'Don, could you do me a favor?' 'What is it, Mikey?' Don asked while he sat himself down on the couch. Master Splinter had given him crutches that he always had in storage. With 4 teenage boys, you might need them.  
Mikey walked over to the couch and sat next to Don 'Don't you ever dare to scare me like that again!' He yelled while hugging him tight. Don was suprised, but recoverd and hugged Mikey back 'I'll try, Mikey' He said with a small smile 'Who would have to fix your videogames otherwise?' he added. Mikey pulled back abrubtly and also Leo looked at Don with big eyes. 'Don…' Mikey said quietly 'Are you serious?' Don looked at both his brothers with a confused look.  
'Do you really think that we only want you around because you are a genius and you can fix everything?' Leo asked. 'I…' Don started, but he didn't finish his sentence. To his brothers, that was all the answer they needed.

'We need to go and find Raph' Mikey said suddenly after a moment of quietness. 'Good idea' Leo said 'I think we need to have a family meeting about this. And for that, we need the entire family to be around.' 'I'll come too' Don said. Leo stopped him 'Less than an hour ago, you almost fell from a roof. I'm not letting you go run through the sewers now' 'I know the sewers better than the two of you combined. No offense' Don added quickly 'We know Raph, if he is panicking than he will run and then he won't be able to find his way back' Leo considered this and finally gave in. 'Fine then, but we won't let you go off on your own. I will stay with you the entire time, you will use those crutches and if you need a break, you say so. Understood?' Don smiled and agreed.  
Five minutes later, they took off.

'I just hope that Raph hasn't got himwelf worked into trouble…' Donnie said.


	3. Searching

In the meanwhile, Raph had been running through the sewers without knowing where he was going. It was only when he was completely out of breath that he stopped and took a look around. That's when reality hit him: he had run away from his family only because he was afraid of having to face his brothers. And now, he was lost in the sewers. _Great, just great _he thought _now what? _He took a moment to catch his breath and then decided to walk back in the direction he came from. If he had come from there, the lair must bet hat way, right? He walked, and walked, and walked… But with every step he took he got further away from his home… And from his family

While Raph was trying to find his way back home, the others had gone out to search fort heir lost brother. Because Leo didn't dare to leave Donnie, he asked if master Splinter could go with Mikey. He agreed and they each took a different direction. 'When someone finds Raph, call the others with the shell-cell, Ok?' Leo asked. Everyone agreed and they left. Mikey and master Splinter ran off. _For an old rat, he still is so full of energy _Leo thought with a small smile on his face. Than he went back concentrating to the matter on hand: finding Raph. Don walked with his crutches, but his face showed that he was still in some pain. Several times, Leo asked if he needed a break. But Don declined the offer. After the 10th time, Don was sick of it 'Would you stop it!' he suddenly yelled 'I'm not a baby anymore Leo! I can take care of myself! So I don't need your concern'.  
Leo was shocked at this reaction, espacially coming from his silent genius brother. He never yelled, really: never! Not when he was a kid, not when he was angry… that was just one of the things he didn't do. Like Raph didn't leave without a fight or like Mikey wouldn't stop playing pranks on his brothers. _What happened with him that changed him so much? _Leo wondered in silence.

After Don's outburst, they walked for another thirty minutes. Then , Don sighed: 'I'm sorry, Leo'. Leo looked at Don's face and saw a genuine expression of sadness. Leo just smiled and patted his brother on the shoulder. 'It's okay, Donnie. Everyone needs to let off some steam every now and then'  
Don smiled back. He could barely believe that Leo wasn't even angry at him. He had reacted so completely over the top, much like Raph would have done. It seemed that when one of the four brothers wasn't around, his place was filled by someone else. Like now.  
'I really hope Raph is okay' Don said quietly. 'Hey, you know him', Leo said 'he is able to take care of himself. Nobody will be able to hurt him. Who would be crazy enough to try anyway?'  
'…That's not what I'm concerned about' Don added. Leo stopped walking and gave his younger brother a confused look. 'Well', Don explained 'I don't think that he will be atacked or even if he would be, he would indeed be able to take care of his attacker. My biggest concern is that he is blinded by complete panick and that he won't be watching his steps. I told you lost week about the new part in the sewers I found. It's quite a distance from the lair, but still…'  
Leo's eyes widened with fear 'Are talking about that part that's so old that it could collapse any minute?'  
Don nodded 'And this part is connected to the river. So if it collaps…' 'Raph will get all the water in the river on his head' leo finished the sentence. 'Indeed' Don answered.

'Do you think you can find this part again?' Leo asked. 'I think so', Donnie answered 'But we would have to run to get there before Raph does' 'I'll call MIkey, maybe they have got him. And if they don't, they could come to the old sewer part' 'Yes' Don added 'they can follow the signal of our shell-cells. I've installed a GPS, so that every one of them can be tracked down' 'Don, you are awesome!' Leo declared before he called Mikey.

'Yes' Don said silent 'if you need my technology, I'm awesome…'

While all of this was happening, Raph had indeed gotten to the old part of the sewers at the river. 'Weird' Raph said 'I've never been here before. It looks so old…' He took another step forward, but at that moment, the floor started to crumble below his feet. 'O shell!' he yelled 'not good! Definitely not good!'


	4. Tears

Raph felt the ground crumble beneath his feet. _If I move, it breaks faster _he thought _but if I stay here, I'll surely be a goner in a couple of minutes._ After an internal debate, he decided to call Leo. He always had a plan, probably even for this kind of situations. When he wanted to grab his shell-cell, he realised it wasn't there. That's when he remembered: he had given it to Don to fix the screen because he had dropped it the night before. 'O, Come on!' Raph said frustrated 'You have to be kidding me!'

Only a couple of tunnels away, the three turtles and their sensei met up again. 'Where is this tunnel, Donatello?' Master Splinter asked 'We must get there fast' 'I…think…it's… that…way…' Don said between gasps. It isn't easy to run on crutches. Also his brothers saw that. 'Mikey, take Don's crutches' Leo ordered 'Don, get on my back'  
Don looked at him with a bewildered expression '…are you sure? I'll just slow you down… Go ahead, I'll catch up later or I'll just wait for you guys over here'  
Leo looked at him with a stern look 'Don, we're brothers and we always stick together, no matter what!' Don smiled at this, but that didn't last very long. They heard something cracking. 'I think that's the tunnel!' Mikey said. Don hopped onto Leo's back and Leo started running, quickly followed by his father and younger brother.  
Don somehow liked the point that Leo had made him come along. It showed that they cared for him, even if it's just because he can fix things easily.

When they arrived at the tunnel, they saw Raph standing somewhere near the middle of the tunnel. Everywhere around him, the floor was falling apart piece by piece. But also the ceiling was starting to crack. 'Raph!' Mikey shouted. Raph turned around and saw his father and brothers. He had never been so happy to see them. 'Guys!' he yelled back 'Get me out of here!'  
In the meantime, Don had slid from Leo's back and gotten his crutches back from Mikey. He was observing the situation and the places the floor was gone, trying to come up with a plan. 'Don, please tell me you've got an idea' Leo asked with a hopeful look in his eyes. 'I'm not sure if it will work' Don said slowly 'It might work, or it might make everything collapse even faster' 'Don, come one man!' Raph yelled suddenly 'You're the genius of the family! It's your job to find solutions for situations. So, find one!' Don looked at Raph, he saw the anger and fear in his eyes.  
But he also saw something else while looking at his older brother.

'Raph!' Don yelled 'Look out! Above you!' Raph looked up and still saw a flash of a dark rock that fell down where he was standing. Raph jumped backwards and the rock missed him by an inch. But the floor couldn't stand the impact and collapsed… with Raph still on it. Raph tried to grab on to something, but it didn't change anything. He fell down together with the floor into a dark pit.

'NO!' his entire family yelled at the same time. 'We have to do something!' Leo panicked 'We have to get him out of there!' 'But what if the ceiling breaks?' Mikey asked 'Than we're all dead!'  
'We have to at least try to remain calm' Master Splinter said, although everyone could hear the panic in his voice.

Don just stood there and looked at the place where he had last seen his brother. He couldn't move or speak, he could barely even think. Then, he started running towards the pit where Raph had disappeared in. It took a moment before the others noticed what he was doing. But once they noticed, they went after him, trying to convince him to stop and think before acting. Only master Splinter didn't say a thing. He trusted his son and he knew that he wouldn't do anything without a reason.

When Don arrived at the pit, he tried to see even a small piece of red fabric or green turtle. But he couldn't see a thing, except for rocks and dirt. He tried to guess the depth of the pit. Probably something around 7 ft deep. _Good enough _Don thought. He dropped his crutches and jumped into the pit. The landing hurt, but he didn't care. His brother was more important now. He started to pull away rocks in a desperate search for his lost brother.

By the time, the others had arrived Don was already moving rocks. 'Don is crazy!' Leo said to his father 'What if the ceiling collapses now? Or what if the floor crumbles even more? Or what if…' His father interrupted him 'What if, what if… You should trust your brother and help him instead of worrying about him. You taught him that, now it's time to follow your own advice' Leo smiled at his sensei and joined Donnie in the search.  
Also Mikey jumped into the pit now.

His father stayed on top, to keep an overview. Then , he saw something. 'Donatello, on your left!'  
Donnie turned and then saw the muscled arm of his brother lying under a pile of rocks. 'Guys, I found him!' he yelled while trying to clear some space. The two others joined him and it didn't take long before Raph was released. But he didn't react. Don kneeled next to him and shook his shoulder, but still… no reaction at all. Also Mikey and Leo were pushing and shaking Raph now. But no avail, he stayed deadly still…  
Master Splinter was watching the entire situation with tears in his eyes.

'Come on, bro…' Mikey begged on the verge of crying 'don't do this to me! I need you, man!'  
'We all need you' Leo added 'You can't leave us! You're way too strong for that!' Also he was almost crying, but he was trying to stay strong for his brothers.  
Don could barely hold back the tears.'…You told me that you needed me as your technician. But even if that's all I am to you, I need you as my brother… You can't leave us…'

But also this was no use, Raph still laid still.  
Mikey couldn't hold it anymore and burst out in tears in Donnie's arms. Also Donnie couldn't keep his eyes dry and started sobbing on Mikey's shoulder. Leo joined them a second later while crying silently.  
Also master Splinter was letting his tears go. He couldn't believe that his second oldest son was dead.  
He fell to his knees while the tears ran freely over his face.

**Author's note: Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing :D**  
**I know, this is a very depressing and sad chapter... But trust me, I'll make it up.  
Keep reading, the story will get better :)**

**Thanks anyway! **


	5. Suprises

Raph's POV

I still saw a flash of rock before I jumped backwards. The rock barely missed me, but it fell through the floor taking the floor itself with him down… together with me. After that, there was nothing but pain… and voices….

Wait, voices?! Oh no, I've totally lost it now! Is this heaven? Or hell? I've never been a very 'good' person, so probably hell.

But why do they sound so familiar?

'Come on, bro… don't do this to me! I need you, man!'  
The voice was filled with tears, like the owner of it could start crying any moment now…  
_Wait, isn't that Mikey's voice? Is he talking to me? Then I must be dead… Or at least dying…  
You'll be fine, Mikey. You can take care of yourself, I believe in you little bro. I shouldn't have bullied you so much…_

'We all need you, you can't leave us! You're way too strong for that'  
_That's Leo! But, since when does he think I'm strong?  
And since when does he need me? We do nothing but fight… Maybe he cares more about me than I thought….  
_Also his voice sounded like the tears were on their way. He was probably trying to stay strong for the others._ Always being the big brother, the one that others can rely on. I wish I would have appreciated him more…_

'… You told me that you needed me as your technician. But even if that's all I am to you, I need you as my brother… You can't leave us…'  
_That's Donnie…  
Wait a minute! What did he just say?! Does he really think that?! I care about him because he's my brother! Not because he can fix things! I can't let him think that! I wouldn't be able to forgive myself… Well, for as long as I'm still alive. But still, I can't let him going through life thinking that his older brother didn't care anything about him. I have to tell him that I do care! I just have to… _

_There has got to be a way… Come on, Raph! I can do it! I have to fight it… Don't go to the light… Just open your eyes, it isn't that hard… Okay, maybe it is. But my brothers are worth it! _

_Come on, Raph, just do it!_

The next second, my brain was filled with incredibly bright light…

Nobody's POV

Don was trying to calm down a bit, so he could try to comfort his brothers. He took a few breaths, when he heard a very small sound. It came from Raph's direction. He let go of Mikey and crawled over to Raph. He heard the sound again. Now it was clearly coming from Raph. Don's eyes grew bigger, could it be?

At that moment, Raph opened his eyes a little. 'Raph?' Don asked carefully. It couldn't be. _I'm hallucinating_ Don thought. Then Raph looked at Donnie and smiled a little. 'Raph!' Donnie yelled happily and hugged his big brother like he hadn't done since they were little kids.  
Raph was a little startled but hugged back with at least as much power as he could muster.

Master Splinter looked up at this sudden outburst and saw Donatello hugging Raphael. His heart was filled with joy. His son was alive! He could do nothing but smile.

Leo and Mikey weren't really paying attention to their brothers. They were to overwhelmed by grief. Donnie called their names, but he barely got any reaction. Only Leo responded: 'Leave us alone for a moment, Donnie. We need some time to get over the loss of our brother…' All of this was said while Leo was crying, which he barely ever did.

Raph tried to sit up a little bit. He succeeded with some help from Donnie. 'You know it's touching how much you guys care about me!' Raph said with a small grin on his face.  
Leo turned around to the direction where the voice came from. Then he saw Raph 'Raph!' Leo yelled and he ran over to Raph to give him a very tight hug.

Mikey was left alone. He just sat there crying a little more. Don stood up and walked over to Mikey, although it hurt a lot. 'Mikey…' Don tried to get his attention. Finally Mikey looked him in the eyes. 'Come with me, Mikey' Don said a lot calmer than he felt 'I want to show you something' Mikey stood up and followed his brother. When he saw that Raphael was alive and hugging Leo, a huge smile came upon his face. The second Leo let go of Raph, Mikey tackled him to the ground and gave him a huge hug. This made the rest of the family laugh. 'Okay Mike, you can let go now' Raph said 'otherwise you might choke me'.

Than Don went into 'doctor mode'. 'Are you okay?' he asked worried. Raph looked at him and was silent for a while. 'I guess so' he said after a while 'only a headache and a little sore in general'  
Don smiled 'you just got buried under a pile of rocks, I think that's normal. Come on, let's get you out of here' Mikey helped Don up and after that he and Leo pulled Raph to his feet. Raph became a little dizzy at first and fell backwards, but Don was prepared. He stood behind him and caught him in his arms.

Raph looked behind him and saw his rescuer. _Unbelievable _he thought _first I hurt him, he is in incredible pain and still he's able to help me. _At that moment, he had found a new hero.

Mikey climbed out of the pit first, with a little help from master Splinter. After that, Leo and Donnie helped Raph up. Don was next. Leo gave him a push and Mikey and Splinter pulled him up. Leo went up last.

When finally everyone got out, they hugged each other. They were so happy that everyone was still alive. Then the ceiling started dripping. 'Donnie?' Mikey asked 'is the ceiling supposed to leek?'

Don looked up and answered his little brother: 'No, no it's not!'

**Author's note: I told you I would make it up! :)  
****I'm sorry if I scared anyone.  
****I could never kill somebody, not even in a story.**

**Thank you all for staying with me and trusting me! ****  
**

**I'm open to reviews :)**


	6. Burden

There was dripping water from the ceiling. 'I think the ceiling is going to break!' Leo said 'we have to get out of here! Don, get on Mikey's back. I'll take Raph, because he's heavier' Nobody complained and off they went. They ran as fast as they could while trying not to trip or fall into another pit. When they arrived at the beginning of the tunnel, they stopped running and looked around.  
At the other end, the tunnel started to fill with water. 'What if the water gets here?' Mikey asked a little scared 'than we will still drown' Everyone was looking at each other, hoping somebody else had a solution. Then, Don had an idea.

'Mikey, put me down' Don ordered. As soon as he was on the ground, he limped over to what looked like an ancient pipe. There was a wheel connected to it, probably to arrange the water in the pipe. But Don looked behind the pipe and found what he was looking for. He pulled and after a while a sort of huge stone door appeared. 'This was made when these tunnels were constructed' Donnie explained 'I don't know the exact reason, but it might just work for now' Leo put Raph safely on the ground and he and Mikey ran over to Donnie to help him pull.

But the tunnel filled quickly and the door was extremely heavy. When they had almost closed it, the water started to come from the small opening that remained. Soon, they were standing in a puddle of water. 'Pull harder!' Leo ordered. 'I will help you, my sons!' master Splinter proposed, but Leo declined it. 'You have to look after Raph, sensei!' Their father obeyed and stayed with his son.

Raph's POV

_I feel so useless! I can't even stand on my own two legs properly, let alone help them save all of us! _

Nobody's POV

When they finally had closed the door, the water was still coming from underneath the door. 'I don't know how long this is going to hold it' Donnie said. 'Then let's move it!' Mikey yelled. Leo kneeled in front of Raph to let him jump on his back again. He expected a comment about being able to walk himself, but instead he felt the weight of his brother on his shell. _I really hope that this is all muscle, _Leo thought _Or otherwise: no more pizza for Raphael. _

Mikey waited for Donnie to hop on his back, but Don refused. 'I'm okay again, I can walk' Don said.  
Mikey just stared at him with big eyes 'Dude, you have got to be kidding me! You almost fell of a roof, hurt your knee, saved Raph and now you say you are going to run the entire distance from here to the lair yourself?!' Don stayed silent '…I don't want to be a burden' 'You're not heavy! You're quite skinny actually' Mikey answered with a smile. Don rolled his eyes 'not THAT kind of burden…' Mikey thought about this, then he got what Donnie was trying to say.

'Donatello', his father said 'it is okay to accept some help from time to time' Donnie smiled, but still refused. Even a stern look from Leo couldn't convince him to hop on. So they let Don be stubborn and ran off, but much slower than they normally would have done.  
When they were half way there, Don tripped and fell to the ground. Everyone stopped and turned to Donnie. Mikey was at his side in an instant to help him sit up.  
Donnie was gasping again and starting to look a little white. 'I think we're safe now' Leo said 'let's take a little break, shall we?' Don looked at Leo and smiled a little. Leo helped Raph to sit down and winked at Donnie.

This break gave master Splinter the chance to have another look at Donnie's knee. The fall had probably done nothing, but just to be sure he examined it again. 'You have been very lucky today, my son' master Splinter said 'you could have torn your muscle completely. But I think nothing has happened, aside from another bruise' He helped his son on his feet and then the two of them went to check on Raphael.  
After a small examination, they found that he wasn't hurt very bad aside from some scratches and bruises. He was still a little weakly on his legs, though. Probably from the hit he got to the head.  
After the break, they continued. This time, Mikey took Raph and Leo took Donnie. This time, he didn't complain and just sat on Leo's back.

When they arrived at the lair, Raph and Donnie sat on the couch while the others went to kitchen to make some tea. It had been a heavy day. When everyone had finished their tea, master Splinter retreated to his room to meditate. 'And now' Leo announced 'We are going to have a little talk about the current situation'. 'Do we have to?' Don complained 'Can't it wait? I'm tired and…' 'No, it can't wait!' Leo interrupted. Raph had become very silent. Mikey was looking pretty much everywhere except at this two brothers on the couch.

'Okay, who wants to start saying something?' Leo asked  
Everybody was deadly silent. Then the most unlikely person to say a word, opened his mouth  
'I want to' Raph said


	7. Confessions

'Okay, who wants to start saying something?' Leo asked  
Everybody was deadly silent. Then the most unlikely person to say a word, opened his mouth  
'I want to' Raph said

The others looked at him with big eyes. Most of the time when they had a family meeting like this one, Raphael just sat there looking grumpy and keeping his mouth shut.  
Finally, Leo had recovered enough to reply: 'Ok then… Go ahead Raph'

Raph looked to all of his brothers before he took a deep breath and started with his explanation: 'First of all, I want to say I'm sorry for running away for no apparent reason. By doing that, I almost got all of us killed' His brothers smiled at each other before Mikey said something: 'Yeah, bro. Next time you run away without thinking… think it through, would you?' Everyone started laughing, even Raph. Then Raph continued: 'And I also want to thank you guys for coming after me… especially Donnie for finding me in time. If you would have been only 2 minutes later…' He couldn't even finish his sentence.  
Don looked at his older brother. He saw fear in his features. Not like when you saw a big spider in your bedroom, but the kind of fear when you think what might have happened if something went differently. He could almost see the worst scenario play behind his brother's eyes. He put his hand on his brother's shoulder and gave it a small squeeze. Raph looked Donnie in the eyes, but didn't smile like Donnie expected him to do.

Raph looked back at the ground. He barely could find the courage to continue, but he also knew that if he didn't do it now, he would never get to it. 'And I also want to apologise to you, Donnie, for some other things' For the first time that day, he really looked into Don's eyes. Don was surprised by Raph, but also a little curious as to what he was going to say next.  
Raph still looked in his eyes while he continued: 'I said some things today that I shouldn't have said. I didn't realise it until the moment I almost lost you… and when you guys almost lost me'  
He looked at the rest of his brothers. Leo and Mikey were sitting cross legged on the floor next to each other. They were looking at him very strictly. 'When I was almost… you know…' Raph continued, 'I still heard what you guys said about me…' Leo, Mikey and Donnie looked at each other. They all shared the same thought: _He heard that? Not good…_

'Mikey', Raph said to his youngest brother 'You don't need me. You can handle things perfectly by yourself. Well, maybe not perfectly, but at least decent' 'Geez, Thanks Raph' Mikey rolled his eyes, but still smiled. It didn't happen very often that Raph said nice things like that. It gave him a warm feeling inside.  
'And Leo?' Raph asked. Leo turned his attention back to his brother. 'Yes?', he replied.  
'Since when do you think you need me?' Raph asked teasingly. Leo smirked a little: 'Since always. I just can't imagine my life without you… And before you mention it, yes I think you're strong. Not just in muscles, but also in the heart' This made Raph quiet for a moment. He needed some time to let it all sink in a little more. Finally, he managed to reply: 'Thanks Leo'. He gave his older brother a genuine smile.

But now, Raph knew that the hardest part was yet to come…

'Donnie' Raph started 'I need to clear something up here… I also heard what you said. Actually, that was what made me fight to stay alive' Donnie looked truly confused.  
'I think we all have something to say to Donnie today' Leo added. Mikey nodded.

'It's not that we need you around to fix things' Leo said. 'Yeah', Mikey continued 'I think that master Splinter can also fix my videogames. It surely would take some more time, but I think it will work just as good'  
'I don't need you as my technician, Don' Raph added

All the three brothers looked around because they heard a sort of a sniffle and some loud breaths.  
When they looked to their genius brother, they saw that he was trying his hardest to hold back the tears. They all stood up and went to him.

'Hey, what's up?' Leo asked  
'Did I say something wrong again?' Raph asked 'Man, this is so not my day!'  
'Dude, talk to us' Mikey added 'What's wrong?'  
'What's wrong?' Donnie asked perplexed 'what's wrong?! First, my brothers only need me as their 'handy man', but now I have even been replaced by master Splinter! So now I'm no longer to any use to any of you guys, you will kick me out of the lair and I will continue the rest of my life alone in the sewers. That's what you guys want, right?'

'WHAT?!...' Leo, Mikey and Raph yelled together.  
They looked at each other with big eyes. They all knew what the others were thinking  
_Not good! SO NOT GOOD!..._

**Author's note: Thanks to everybody who still reads this! I'm completely open to reviews or ideas for the rest of the story. If you have got friends who might like this, send them the link to this story ****  
If you have got suggestions, questions,… about me or my story, review or send me a private message. I will try to reply **


	8. Explaining

'WHAT?!...' Leo, Mikey and Raph yelled together.  
They looked at each other with big eyes. They all knew what the others were thinking  
_Not good! SO NOT GOOD!..._

By this time, Donnie couldn't hold the tears any more. They were just falling from his eyes down on his legs. Normally he would have tried to hold them or to stop crying, but he didn't care anymore. If his brothers were going to throw him out of the house anyway, than why would he try to act tough?

Leo was watching Donnie with big eyes. He just couldn't believe what was happening. _How could this start so good and turn out so wrong? _He thought _Now we've got Raph to open up, but now Donnie is so convinced that we want him out… How could he think that? Haven't we been there enough for him? Okay, now I'm the one who is starting to feel guilty. _

Also Mikey couldn't cope with what he had just heard. _Why would he think that? _Mikey thought _Ok, I didn't exactly help with saying that master Splinter can also fix my games… and there comes the guilt._

Raph just sat there, not moving at all. He wasn't even thinking, he just sat and breathed. Then, after a couple of moments, he recovered: 'What the shell are you thinking of us?!...'_  
_Donnie was startled but didn't say anything, he just continued to cry a little.

'What is going on in here?' master Splinter said in a loud voice. He had listened to the conversation while meditating, but he got worried after he heard the last part.  
'Master Splinter' all of his sons stood up, except for Donnie because of his knee. They looked at each other with a look of concern on their faces. 'Well?' their sensei asked 'who is going to explain?'  
Everybody looked either at the floor or the ceiling.  
'Okay, than we are going to solve this a little differently' Splinter said 'Everybody go for a walk in the sewers or something, except for Donatello… and Raphael'

Mikey and Leo were grateful and took of immediately. Raph still stood there for a moment before he sat down again next to his younger brother. Master Splinter stood in front of his two sons.

'Now' Master Splinter continued 'you wanted to say something, Raphael?' Raph stayed silent for a moment. Then he just nodded. 'Go ahead' their father said while he sat down on the floor.

Raph took a deep breath and then turned to Donnie: 'How could you think we want you out of the lair? What kind of guys do you think we are?!' Donnie looked at Raph, still with tears in his eyes.  
'It comes in handy that we've got someone who can do some technical stuff around here, but you're more than just our 'handy man'' Raph added 'You're our brother and we wouldn't trade you for the world! And you know, I meant what I said before. I don't need you as my technician… I need you as my brother' He smiled at Donnie. Now both of them had tears in their eyes. Donnie first looked at Raph and then at his father, who was smiling at him.

'Thanks, Raph' he finally managed to say 'That… means a lot to me, especially coming from you'  
'And there's something else I want to apologise for' Raph said silently. Now both Don and Splinter were looking at Raph. 'Remember, on the roof? When you started to get tired and I was mocking you and saying that you always needed a break… I know that by saying that I pushed you, unwillingly, over your limits. And by doing that, you didn't have the strength or concentration anymore to make that jump right. So it's my fault that you fell and I can't explain how sorry I am. And even after I did all of that, you still got me out of that tunnel and from underneath those rocks. You even managed to catch me when I stood up and fell back down… You know, Donnie… You're kind of my hero now' Raph stayed quiet for a while and didn't dare to look at his brother. Instead he looked at his father, who was smiling at him like he wanted to say: 'well done, my son'

Finally, he dared to look at his brother. There were still tears in his eyes, but now also a smile on his face. After a little bit of consideration, Raph hugged Donnie very tight. Donnie just returned the hug. While hugging, Donnie whispered in Raph's ear: 'If it helps, I've never been mad at you for mocking me… That's just who you are and I would never want to change you… brother' At hearing this, Raph hugged Donnie even tighter: 'Thanks, bro' he whispered back 'for everything you do…' 


	9. Decisions

After half an hour, Leo and Mikey returned from their walk in the sewers. While walking, they had been talking about what had happened that day. First Don's fall, then searching for Raph, then Raph's (almost dead), then running from the water and now Don's (almost) depression.  
'It's been a though day' Leo said. 'Yeah', Mikey agreed 'I hope Raph and Donnie talked everything out. If they didn't… I don't know what's going to happen…' Mikey's voice sounded scared. He didn't want to lose his brilliant brother. He was the one to comfort him when he was scared. The one that kept explaining the same thing for hours if necessary. 'I can't imagine my life without Donnie around' Mikey added. 'Neither can I', agreed Leo.

When they were two tunnels away from the lair, they heard shouting.  
'You are going down!' That sounded like Raph's voice.  
'Oh no! Not this time!' That was Donnie.  
It sounded like they were fighting. 'I don't think they talked it out, Mikey' Leo said as he fastened his pace. 'Nope!' Mikey replied as he followed Leo's lead. The shouting became louder and more violent.  
Leo and Mikey started running, a little panicked. If Raph was really willing, he could take Don down and really hurt him. Especially now, when Don was hurt.

When they finally arrived at the lair, they didn't see Raph or Donnie. Even master Splinter was nowhere to be seen. This really frightened Leo. The shouting seemed to come from the living room. Mikey ran ahead with Leo on his tail. 'STOP IT! DON'T HURT DON!' Mikey yelled as he entered the living room. 'LEAVE HIM ALONE, RAPH!' Leo added.

But when Mikey and Leo took a closer look, they saw that Raph and Don weren't fighting. They were sitting next to each other on the couch in front of the TV looking at them with very big eyes.  
'Euhm…' Raph said hesitating 'Okay, I won't hurt Don… Why would I?' 'Yes, indeed', Don added 'why would he?'

Leo walked over to his brothers. 'But… we heard you guys yelling! Raph, you were yelling that Don was going down!' 'Yes, I did' Raph answered 'we are playing a video game. I was yelling because I wanted to win' Don nodded with a small grin on his face. Now that leo took a closer look, he saw that there was indeed a video game on the screen with the word 'PAUSE' written all over it.

'So…' Mikey asked 'You have talked everything out?' In the meantime, he had walked over to the couch. Raph and Don looked at each other and smiled . 'I think we have, yes' Don said with a wink to Raph.

'Well… that's good!' Leo smiled, happy that his brothers had fixed everything between them 'but there is still a small matter at hand…' Don looked at Leo with a confused look. Leo sighed 'Don, do you still think we want to throw you out or that you want to leave voluntarily?' He barely could hide the scared tone in his voice.

The room was deadly silent, the only sound came from a leaking pipe in the kitchen.  
But before Don could say something, Mikey couldn't hold himself any longer. He launched himself on Don, careful to avoid his knee, and gave him a huge hug while crying 'You can't leave Donnie!' He sobbed 'I need you man! You can't leave us alone!...'  
Don was used to Mikey's weird stunts, he was probably the only one who could still predict some of Mikey's reactions to things. Although most of the time, even the genius was baffled by his little brother… like now.

Don didn't know what to do or say. He just sat there with his younger brother crying on his shoulder. _Wow, _Don thought _If this is Mikey's reaction to even the slightest possibility that I might leave, then he really must care for me… This would be so sweet, if it wasn't heart-breaking at the same time. I just can't stand seeing my cheerful brother so sad!_

Leo and Raph just looked at their two younger brothers with big eyes. Normally, Mikey would never act so emotional about anything. He was the cheerful, crazy one that always made everybody laugh.

Finally, Don hugged Mikey back. 'I won't leave you guys' Don said silently 'I couldn't live without Leo being bossy or Raph being grumpy all the time. And most definitely, not without your eternal smile.' Mikey looked up into the smiling face of his brother. 'Really?' Mikey asked carefully 'So you're just staying with us? You're not moving out or running away?'  
Don couldn't help but smile 'No, I won't leave' Mikey didn't react for a moment. Than he stood up and tackled Donnie to the floor while screaming things like 'I love you, man' and 'Thank you! Thank you!'

Leo and Raph started laughing at this. They would never admit it, but deep inside they had been just as afraid as Mikey. The four of them were a team. Without one of them, they couldn't function.  
After a while, they also joined the little wrestling match on the floor. Quickly, it developed into a group hug with Donnie in the middle. 'Thanks Don' Raph whispered. 'For what?' Don replied.  
'…For being my brother'

**Author's note: Over 2.000 views! I can't thank you enough! I could have never imagined this! Although this story is reaching its ending point, I will most probably start a new one. Maybe on this fandom, maybe on another one. Suggestions are welcome! :D Also, keep reading and reviewing! I really appreciate it! **


	10. Epilogue

Epilogue

1 month later

Don's POV

The pain in my knee is as good as gone. The only thing left is a little bit of stiffness. The bruise had already disappeared last week. Everything is back as it was before. Well, almost everything…

Raph has become nicer, at least to me. He has stopped teasing me and he has practically left me alone since the whole affair of last month.  
Too bad for Mikey, who has been his 'victim' since.

I also feel like I'm getting more appreciation then before.  
Normally, when I fixed something life would move on without a single 'thank you' or even just a smile. It was nothing but a habit: someone broke something, I fixed it and we would try to hide it from master Splinter.  
Now, I receive a thank you from all three of my brothers. Even when two of them haven't got anything to do with it. It's a little over the top, maybe. But I kind of like this.  
I say in two weeks we will go back to 'the habit structure'.  
But I won't mind anymore. Because I have learned that they do appreciate me, even when they don't always say it.

I'm no longer the 'handy man'. Mikey calls: 'Don, can you fix the TV?' I sigh. Ok, so maybe I am the handy man. But that's okay.  
Because I'm more than that.  
I'm also the doctor, the inventor and the one with the solutions to everything (well, at least according to Leo). But most important: I'm part of a loving family that truly cares about me and wouldn't trade me for the world.

Yesterday, something weird happened. I was working in my lab on the shellraiser. Suddenly, I hear the door of the lab opening. I turn around and see Raph standing there with a scared look on his face. I could only imagine one reason why he looked that way. 'What is broken this time?' I asked a little annoyed. He looked a little offended and answered that there was nothing broken. He just dropped in to say hi and to check on what I was doing.  
I was surprised. Normally, nobody really cared about what I was making… as long as it didn't explode or started a fire. He stayed for about half an hour doing nothing but watching me work. He truly seemed interested. Which is kind of strange.  
After another half an hour, he started helping me by handing me some tools when I asked for them. And another 15 minutes later, he was actually also working on the engine (after I explained what he could do).  
It has never happened that he voluntarily helped me out. That whole affair must have startled him more than I thought.  
When we were done, we still had a drink together and laughed a lot about everything and nothing at the same time. It had been years since we had just been laughing like this with just the two of us.

Then the truth came out. He confessed that he had been thinking (I had to bite on my tongue to not make a remark…) and that he had come to see things in a new way. 'There is only the four of us and master Splinter' Raph had said 'There won't be anybody else when we're in trouble. So we have to look out for each other. Take care of each other. Protect each other…' there had been a silence filled with so much tension. Then, he continued: 'I know you forgave me a long time ago, but I can't forgive myself. And I still want to apologise again for what happened. I should have known you better and I should have been able to predict the consequences of my actions. And I'm more sorry than I could ever express '  
I looked into his eyes and I saw all that he wanted to say, but couldn't find the words to do so.  
I smiled at him and gave him a hug, although I knew he didn't like it. But he took it willingly. He even hugged back. 'I know' I said into his ear while hugging. He looked me in the eyes for just one second, but that one second said more than a thousand words could have. At that moment, Mikey walked into the kitchen: 'Aww, group hug!' he yelled while running up to us and joining. Leo came short after, alarmed by Mikey's yell. When he saw his younger brothers in a big group hug, he could do nothing but join them. After a while, Leo asked: 'Why are we hugging?' Donnie and Raph looked at each other and answered together: 'Just because we're brothers'.

My name is Donatello and I am smart, a little shy and not very athletic.  
But most important: I'm proud to be part of this family.

**Author's note: to everyone who has been reading this story: Thank you so much for all the support! **

**This is my first writing online ever, so I'm kind of proud of it. **

**I will defenitely write another one after this :)**

**Suggestions are welcome! **

**Also, if you have got any questions, send me a message! :)**

**Thanks again and I hope to see you again in my other stories! :D**


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